title: Targeting cancer stem cells to suppress acquired chemotherapy resistance.
abstract: Acquired resistance has curtailed cancer survival since the dawn of the chemotherapy age more than half a century ago. Although the application of stem cell (SC) concepts to cancer captured the imagination of scientists for many years, only the last decade has yielded substantial evidence that cancer SCs (CSCs) contribute to chemotherapy resistance. Recent studies suggest that the functional and molecular properties of CSCs constitute therapeutic opportunities to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy. Here we review how these properties have stimulated combination strategies that suppress acquired resistance across a spectrum of malignancies. The clinical implementation of these strategies promises to rejuvenate the effort against an enduring challenge.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA [2] Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Bravo
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cordon-Cardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Domingo-Domenech
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents